May 30, 2007

A
gift to the "Raise the Roof at the Reid"
capital campaign will do just that. Your contribution will help build a
state-of-the-art facility at the W.C.
Reid Center for Creative Arts which will provide cultural, recreational,
and academic opportunities for youth. With this facility and programs,
these youth can go to the center at no-charge during after-school hours and
stay focused and learn while being supervised by caring adults.

The
renovation of the W. C. Reid Center for Creative Arts
will begin in 2007 and your help, along with the entire community is
needed. We appreciate your support and encourage you to tell your
neighbors and friends about this exciting project.

The
kids are raising money by having a car wash -a-thon of sorts on June 2nd. Please
make a contribution and get that pollen cleaned off your car!! Come on by
to support a community that is on the move! The Reid Center is located at 133 Livingston Street (corner of Livingston St & Gaston Street).

So
please join the City of Asheville and theParks and Recreation Department along with the WC Reid Center KIDS on Saturday, June 2 from 8:00-2:00 at the Reid Center Community Day. There will be games, entertainment, food, and a
short program at 10:00 a.m. Representatives from the Asheville Fire Department
and Asheville Police Department will also be in attendance. All proceeds
go to the renovation of the W.C. Reid Center for Creative Arts.

April 20, 2007

The Asheville Buncombe Institute of Parity Achievement (ABIPA) has announced an "It Takes a Village Disparity Update 2007" for May 25, 2007. Featuring House Representative Thomas Wright, more information can be found at the ABIPA website or by contacting them by phone (828-251-8364) or by email (info@abipa.org).

New members are welcomed at any time. Participants are asked to bring passages that stood out for them, questions for the group that arose from both books, and questions on the relationship of each work to diversity issues here in Asheville.

March 12, 2007

March
22 - A screening of "It's Elementary" will be held at
12:20 p.m. Thursday, March 22, at UNC Asheville's Karpen Hall, room 010.

It's Elementary takes cameras into classrooms across the U.S. to look at
one of today's most controversial issues - whether and how gay issues should be
discussed in schools. It features elementary and middle schools where (mainly
heterosexual) teachers are challenging the prevailing political climate and its
attempt to censor any dialogue in schools about gay people. Rather than
focusing on the debate between adults, though, the film takes the point of view
of the school children, starting as young as first grade.

The results are surprising and, as the LA Reader says, "funny, touching,
and fascinating." Third graders' jaws drop when they find out some of
their favorite celebrities are gay; second graders react to a book about a girl
who gets teased because she has two moms; fourth graders say it makes them
"feel weird in your stomach" when other kids yell "faggot"
on the playground and teachers don't do anything about it; eighth graders fire
a barrage of poignant questions to the gay guest speakers who visit their
social studies class; third graders passionately debate the current events
issue of the day: should gays be allowed to get married?

March
22 - Civil Rights Documentary “Freedom’s Call"; - UNC Asheville
will host a screening of the civil rights documentary “Freedom’s Call” at 6:30
p.m. Thursday, March 22, in UNC Asheville's Humanities Lecture Hall. The noted
film chronicles the experiences of two pioneering African-American journalists
who documented the civil rights movement. A panel discussion with filmmaker
Richard Breyer and local journalists will follow the screening. The event is
free and open to the public; a $5 donation will be suggested at the door. All
proceeds will benefit the "I Have a Dream Foundation," which helps
underserved children reach their educational and career goals by providing
long-term mentoring and tutoring.

March 18 - Share, Hear and Listen: An
Exploration of your Jewish American Experience though Storytelling and
Story-hearing - In addition to the performance, a workshop for adults will
take place from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 18, at the Asheville Jewish Community
Center. “Share, Hear and Listen: An Exploration of your Jewish American
Experience though Storytelling and Story-hearing” will use writing and physical
improvisation to explore the theme of belonging. No acting or writing
experience is required. The workshop is free and open to the public. For more
information, call UNCA Center for Jewish Studies at 828-251-6576 or the Asheville Jewish Community Center at 828-253-0701.

March 17 - “The Wonders” - The American
Jewish experience will come to life onstage when UNC Asheville hosts “The
Wonders” at 7:30 p.m. Saturday, March 17, at the Asheville Jewish Community
Center, 236 Charlotte St., the play
intertwines the stories of three fictional women’s lives: an immigrant Yiddish
actress, a Southern beauty queen and a young contemporary playwright.
An original production by the Traveling Jewish Theatre based in San Francisco.

Advance
purchase tickets are $10 general admission or $5 for senior citizens, area
students and children under 12. Tickets purchased at the door are $15 general
admission, $8 for senior citizens, and $5 for students and children under 12.
To reserve tickets by phone, call the UNC Asheville Box Office at 828/232-5000.
Tickets may be purchased in person at UNC Asheville’s Box Office, the Asheville
Jewish Community Center, Congregation Beth Ha Tephila and Congregation Beth
Israel.

March
15 - Afternoon
with Acclaimed Author Timothy B. Tyson - UNC Asheville’s Distinguished
Speaker Series will host a talk on “Blood Done Sign My Name: An Unflinching
Examination of the Civil Rights Struggle in the South” by acclaimed author
Timothy B. Tyson at 12:15 p.m. Thursday, March 15, in UNC Asheville’s Lipinsky
Auditorium. The program will also feature comments by Tyson’s father, Rev.
Vernon Tyson, and a performance by noted gospel singer Mary Williams. A book
signing and reception will immediately follow Tyson’s talk. Tickets are $5 at
the door or free to local students. This event was originally scheduled for
February 1 but was postponed due to bad weather

The 2007 GLBTQ Studies Conference at UNC Asheville, "Queer Today; Where Tomorrow? Communal Identities and Political Entities," will be held March 22-24, 2007 on the UNCA campus in Asheville, NC. The keynote speaker will be Kate Bornstein, an author, playwright and performance artist whose latest book is Hello, Cruel World: 101 Alternatives To Suicide For Teens, Freaks, and Other Outlaws. Other published works include the books Gender Outlaw: On Men, Women and the Rest of Us; and My Gender Workbook. Kate's books are taught in over 120 colleges and universities around the world; and she has performed her work live on college campuses, and in theaters and performance spaces across North America, Europe, and Australia. Her new solo show, "Kate Bornstein Is A Queer and Pleasant Danger" premieres in Manchester, England in May, 2007.

Keynote address for community members and guests is $10 at the Humanities Lecture Hall, March 23 at 7:30 PM. Full conference details are available here.